Kenya has earned international recognition after it presented the most gay-friendly budget for a Sh38 Billion grant from the Global Fund.
The Global Fund praised the Ministry of Health's plans to spend a huge chunk of the money on men who have sex with men, sex workers, and drug addicts.
Populations targeted in the budget have higher HIV burden mostly because they engage in activities that are considered illegal.
"The funding request demonstrates evidence-based prioritisation of key populations affected by both HIV and TB," Global Fund's technical review panel stated.
[caption caption="TB expert Dr Jeremiah Chakaya"]
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The Geneva-based organisation funds most HIV prevention programmes in Kenya.
Chaired by TB expert Dr Jeremiah Chakaya, the panel which reviews all proposals submitted for funding, also described Kenya's proposal as 'detailed and honest'.
Kenya's request for the Sh38 billion grant was approved last December but the panel's report has been released only this month.
"These three diseases are major contributors to our illness burden and deaths.
So, we have to make sure that we work hard so as not to roll back on the gains that we have made over the past six years," Erjesa Waqo, head of the National Malaria Control Programme, stated.
[caption caption="Gay couple holding hands"]
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MSM, sex workers and injecting drug users will get six per cent of the total HIV budget in the funding.
